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GAME UPDATE
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GAME LOG
BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Oakland Athletics won their fourth
straight, took over the wild-card lead and kept the heat on Seattle
in the AL West.
Yet, after receiving a team-record 15 walks in a 7-4 victory
over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, the A's were in a foul mood.
|  | | Orioles shortstop Melvin Mora left in the second after
fouling a ball off the inside of his left knee. |
That's because the commissioner's office postponed the second
game of the scheduled day-night doubleheader after more than five
hours in rain delays caused the opener to run deep into the night.
The game will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader Wednesday.
"We're playing two tomorrow, much to my chagrin," Oakland
manager Art Howe said. "We wanted to play the second one, get it
over with. We were here. The field was supposedly playable. It
doesn't help our rotation."
The A's have to burn two starting pitchers on the eve of a
crucial four-game series in Seattle that gets under way Thursday
night.
Gil Heredia was supposed to pitch the nightcap Tuesday, but
instead will be used Wednesday and thus will be lost for Sunday's
game against the Mariners.
"It makes us use two starters on the same day, that's what it
does," Howe said.
The scheduling snafu took the edge of a victory that enabled the
A's to move a half-game ahead of Cleveland in the wild-card race.
Oakland also remained 2½ games behind the Mariners.
"They can't give us a good reason why we aren't playing two
tonight," Matt Stairs said. "Oh well, we're back in first place
in the wild card."
It was the fifth straight loss for the Orioles, all during a
homestand in which they have been outscored 46-11. The 15 walks was
a franchise record.
"We did an amazing job holding them to seven runs," Baltimore
manager Mike Hargrove said. "We walked 15 people. ... You can't
win doing that."
Oakland trailed 4-2 before using three hits and four walks to
take the lead in the seventh. After the Orioles went down in order,
the umpires stopped play when the day-long shower intensified.
After a delay of 2 hours, 21 minutes, the game finally resumed.
The start was delayed for 2:43. Although the crowd was announced
at 30,166, only a few thousand fans showed up for the makeup of a
May 28 rainout.
The A's stranded 10 runners and were 1-for-13 with runners in
scoring position before erupting in the seventh. Stairs hit a
leadoff double off Jason Johnson (1-10) and Miguel Tejada singled
with one-out before Chavez walked to load the bases.
B.J. Ryan came in and issued three straight walks that put
Oakland up 5-4. Ryan threw 13 pitches, only one in the strike zone.
Randy Velarde then greeted Buddy Groom with a two-run single.
"That was very uncharacteristic of B.J. Ryan, throwing just one
strike. You do that, it's not pretty," Hargrove said.
Jim Mecir (9-3) got the win by pitching two scoreless innings,
even though T.J. Matthews finished the sixth. Jason Isringhausen
worked the ninth for his 29th save in 36 chances.
The Orioles went up 3-1 in the fifth, their biggest lead in five
games since Sept. 13. Luis Matos and Eugene Kingsale singled with
one out before Brady Anderson hit a sacrifice fly. Jerry Hairston
then got his third hit, a single, and Delino DeShields followed
with an RBI single.
Chavez led off the sixth with his 24th homer, the second in two
games, but Baltimore got a run in the bottom half when Ryan Minor
ended an 0-for-27 drought with an RBI single.
Baltimore shortstop Melvin Mora left in the second inning after
fouling a ball off the inside of his left knee. X-rays were
negative.
Game notes
Oakland stranded 16 runners. ... The first rain delay was
the longest at an Orioles home game since the franchise moved to
Baltimore. ... Oakland has won six straight over the Orioles. ...
Hairston's three hits were a season high. He entered in a 1-for-27
skid.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Oakland Clubhouse
Baltimore Clubhouse
Commissioner's office postpones A's/Orioles nightcap
Stark: A's full of 'energy'
RECAPS
Oakland 7
Baltimore 4
Oakland 0
Baltimore 0
(2nd game)
Boston 7
Cleveland 4
Chi. White Sox 6
Detroit 2
Toronto 16
NY Yankees 3
Seattle 5
Tampa Bay 2
Kansas City 5
Anaheim 1
Minnesota 15
Texas 7
Florida 3
Montreal 1
Pittsburgh 12
Philadelphia 8
Atlanta 12
NY Mets 4
Milwaukee 9
Chicago Cubs 8
Houston 8
St. Louis 6
San Diego 7
Colorado 2
Los Angeles 1
Arizona 0
San Francisco 7
Cincinnati 3
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